Personal Capital Budgeting Helps Gain Control of Finance

One of the hardest parts of getting control of your finances is having the time to look at every separate account. However, there are a few apps out there that can help you get better control of your finances without the stress of keeping up with all of the separate accounts. Personal Capital is one of those apps.

More Than Mint

Many people use the Intuitâs app, Mint. However, there are plenty of other apps and resources you can use to get a snapshot of your finances as a whole. Personal Capital allows you to link all of your accounts to its app, and you can view your ânet worth.â You can take a look at your income, bills, IRA, 401(k), credit cards and loans all through one account. With Personal Capital, you can assess your financial health and begin planning for the future (paying off debts, retirement, etc.).

Personal Capital is described as âMission Control for your personal finances.â The appâs dashboard gives users everything they need to gauge every level of your finances.

In the Personal Capital dashboard, youâll see your:

Net Worth

Cash Flow

Portfolio Balances

Portfolio Allocations

Key Holdings

Top Gainers and Losers

Account Balances and Transactions

Spending by Account, Category

Income Reports

Spending Reports and Upcoming Bills

Investment Returns

Projected Investment Fees

An Analyzer

Personal Capitalâs app gives users a âCash Flow Analyzer.â This allows users to see what kind of daily, weekly, monthly and annual income they have coming in. The analyzer will also give users a snapshot of their spending habits. If you are spending more money than you should in certain areas, Personal Capital will let you know. Then, you can make necessary adjusts as you go.

In addition to giving its users a snapshot of the income and spending, Personal Capital also allows users to check their investment accounts. The app also gives you advice regarding your investments. It will recommend certain actions for your investment accounts to reach your long-term goals.

The app also takes a look at all of those âhidden feesâ within your account. If youâre accruing fees in any of your accounts, Personal Capital will detect it, and the app will give you a full report on the fees. In addition to alerting you to them, they will give you advice on how to stop the fees from happening.

Advisors

Personal Capital clients also have access to advisors that are available to discuss each userâs financial goals. Whether it is buying a new home, planning for your first child or retiring early, Personal Capital has advisors that will help you see how youâre doing. The advisors will show you what youâre doing well, where you can improve, and how your financial choices today impact your overall financial plan.

Comments

Well, if you ask me, the most critical part of preparing for retirement is just having a plan. Whether you use a spreadsheet or a tool like OnTrajectory.com or some other website — you have to get everything out in front of you so you can make smarter decisions. Once you do that, then implementing your disciplined retirement strategy becomes critical.